The Beacon
by darthmahler
Summary: After her first encounter with the Scepter of Ragnos, Jaden Korr struggles to find her footing at the Jedi Academy. Shunned and taunted severely for her supposed weakness, Korr wonders if she will ever find the true path of a Jedi. Meanwhile, a Sith cult leader's obsession with Jaden grows in a search for an ally to strengthen the Disciples of Ragnos.
1. Strange Auras

As the Force courses through the palm of Tavion's outstretched hand, a satisfied smile slowly crosses her lips. The temple is rich with Dark Force energy, exactly what she is looking for. Her eyes open to behold the Massassi temple itself, sloping and magnificent in its strength of the dark side. She looks down at the scepter in her other hand, feeling its texture, its millenia of use, the sheer power and capacity for power and and destruction.

Tavion glances at each of the Reborn on either side of her. Without need for words, they understand that they must stand gaurd.

A small _boom _echoes in the distance, and the woman nods in satisfaction. The Academy shuttle had crash-landed several clicks west of the Academy, just as planned. This will allow her just enough time to finish the job at the Temple, and Alora her assignment at the Academy nearby.

Her gaze falls, again, to the scepter. Slowly, she points it up and forward, directly towards the highest point of the temple.

"For Ragnos," she murmurs.

* * *

Despite its large size, the study is simple and nearly bare, save for the wide desk bearing several monitors and keyboards. Light filters in from viewports at the top of the opposite wall, and glow rods on the walls provide additional light. The soft light gives the space a presence of peace, somehow reminiscent of its usual occupant's overall presence.

Alora takes care not to exude any feeling of stress or worry as she quickly scans the area. Even with all Jedi out of the immediate vicinity, she could not assume that a careless slip would go undetected. But, in plain tunics, with her lightsaber casually hanging from her waist, the young Twi'lek woman could surely pass for a Jedi apprentice.

And had, easily enough. She may not have gotten in so effortlessly, had all Jedi students and Masters not been preoccupied with the momentary chaos of the shuttle crash. Her Master, Tavion, had orchestrated the operation well. The diverted awareness had given Alora just enough room to slip past the Jedi as an anonymous apprentice.

Now, she stands alone in the study of the Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker, himself. She can hardly believe she is truly there.

But there would be no time to savor the moment. Swiftly and noiselessly, Alora moves to the desk laden with wide monitors, and reaches for Tavion's datacard.

* * *

The scepter holds so much power that Tavion must grasp it with both hands, using the Force to keep it from flying out of her control. The great vibrations of Force energy pulse in her fingers through her entire body, and a feeling of almost hysterical euphoria grasps her as she points the scepter towards the summit of the temple. The sensation that consumes her body is almost sexual, the tremors surging wildly throughout her core and making her tremble. This is power, in its purest form; this is everything she has ever wanted.

* * *

Jaden Korr had somehow managed to appear calm during the crash, but it had rattled her more than she had been willing to admit. Having been seized with panic as the Jedi Academy's shuttle began to jolt, Jaden is so relieved to be on solid ground that she is tempted to collapse onto the soft grass and postpone the task of finding her future classmates for a while, just to breathe in the sweet, damp air.

Nearby, the boy from the shuttle - what was his name? - chats excitedly with the shuttle pilot over his Com link while taking in the scenery, eager to meet up with their new classmates. Is he not amazed that they made it out of this one alive? Or is he just better at masking fear than she is?

"Awesome! We'll find it in no time! Meet you there!"

The young man's zealous, slightly-too-loud voice does little for the ringing in Jaden's ears. She cannot suppress the dismal thought that she may be stuck in the dense forests of Yavin IV with him indefinitely.

"It should be over this little...hill here. If only I could find a way up…"

The other initiate cranes his neck to see over the ledge that dwarfs both of them. Jaden watches with amusement as he jumps up and down several times, all to no avail.

The young man looks expectantly back at Jaden.

"Maybe you could use your lightsaber to cut those trees down and make a bridge," he suggests.

He looks to be approximately Jaden's age, eighteen, but his expression is that of an eager seven-year-old waiting for his mother to come help him.

Jaden sighs and pushes herself off her perch against a large rock. Apparently, there would be no time to savor the solid ground.

She walks over to her new companion in order to get a closer look at their obstacle, hoping to find any sort of grip or foothold. Cutting down trees had not been exactly how she'd envisioned her first mission with a lightsaber. But the face of the ledge is smooth and steep, and there would be no hope of making it to the top without help.

Jaden sighs again and walks back towards the tree the boy had indicated to. She unclips her lightsaber from her belt.

"Stand back." She motions for him to come towards her, out of the tree's path. He obediently trots to her side.

Jaden activates her lightsaber and gently tosses it towards the base of the tree trunk. It shudders briefly in the wood as she uses the Force to pull it back towards her. The weapon eventually breaks free with a hiss and makes it back into its user's hand.

The blade had not quite cut halfway through the trunk, but the wood is rotting and damp, and crackles ominously as it begins to split.

The two initiates watch the tree inch forward ever so slowly.

"Hold on, I've got this!" the boy says excitedly. He extends both hands and pushes towards the trunk with the Force. The tree continues very slowly forward by its own accord, inch by inch, with a succession of several loud cracks, while the eager initiate continues peppering the air around it with unfocused bursts of Force energy.

Finally, gravity wins out and the tree lands, with a bump and rustling of branches, on the edge of the cliff.

"Sweet! I didn't think I could do it! I guess you can't use your lightsaber for _everything, _huh, Jaden?"

Jaden laughs to herself as the boy mounts the tree trunk and scrambles towards the top. True, she had cringed at the thought of being stuck in the forest alone with him for an extended period of time, but she is grateful for the company, and admits to herself that his amusing over-excitement has helped to calm her nerves quite a bit.

"Jaden, aren't you coming?" his voice calls from the top of the ledge.

She jumps on the tree trunk and climbs after him. "Yeah, but don't get too excited. We don't actually know where we're going."

"I'm sure we can figure it out. The guy from the shuttle says we should come to a clearing to the temple if we follow a downward slope for a while, from the top of this ledge."

"In which direction?"

They are standing where the top of the tree had landed, amid a mangled pile of branches and dried leaves. All the area around them seems similar in terrain.

"Well, this looks like the clearest path," the boy points out, indicating straight ahead, where there seemed to be fewer large rocks and a slightly less dense covering of trees. "Maybe this leads to a clearing."

He starts ahead, and Jaden follows.

"I just can't _wait _to begin my training," the boy says as Jaden catches up to him. "Before we know it, we'll be learning the ways of the Force, traveling the galaxy…I'll even get my own lightsaber! Aren't you excited? We're going to be..."

A piercing cry interrupts him, stopping both initiates in their tracks. The source of noise, whatever it is, expels enough overwhelming sound waves to make them both momentarily freeze in shock, their hands instinctively flying over their ears.

Jaden looks around frantically for the source of the noise. It is too high-pitched to be human, but is unlike anything she had ever heard before.

There is a slight motion in the shrubberry as the shrieking continues. A sudden impulse inexplicibly causes Jaden to activate her lightsaber, and, without thinking, hurl it towards the bush that had rustled.

The shrieking intensifies.

"What _is _that?" cries Jaden, clamping one hand over her left ear with the other outstretched to pull her lightsaber back towards her.

Holding her lightsaber in front of her, Jaden draws closer to the patch of greenery where her instinct had somehow told her the noise had been coming from. She nearly misses the life form that blends in so well with the forest, but jumps back when a small animal leaps out from under the brush.

The green, reptilian-looking creature's mouth is opened wide, expelling the physically jarring walls of sound. Jaden freezes, too overwhelmed with shock and loud noise to make a move.

"It's a howler!" cries the young man, pulling a blaster from his belt. "Hang on, I'll take care of this!"

He begins firing frantic blasts at the creature when Jaden finally recovers. Her new classmate handling a blaster is somehow more unnerving than this howler. She tosses her lightsaber once more.

The noise ceases. Silence overwhelms the forest.

The howler is collapsed in an unsightly pile before them. The initiates exchange looks of relief.

"Well, wasn't that fun," Jaden mutters, deactivating her lightsaber.

"I'll say. C'mon, let's find our way out of here," says the young man, clipping his blaster back to his belt, to Jaden's relief.

The initiates do not get far before something stops them in their tracks once again.

Tendrils of warm sunlight flood into the opening in the thick covering of trees, forcing the two initiates to squint momentarily before they can see past the clearing.

"Would you look at that," the young man murmurs.

The Massassi Temple is surrounded by an expanse of crystal-clear water over a flat stone surface.

"That must be it," says Jaden. "Maybe the others are inside. Or didn't get there yet."

She ventures into the sunlight until grass meets golden-yellow stone and quivering water. The boy follows several paces behind her. She could see the stone floor clear to the temple; the water didn't look more than two feet deep at its deepest.

Suddenly eager to get to the temple, she jumps into the ankle-deep water. Noticing her companion has not followed, she looks back at the him.

"Well? Let's go."

"Ah, I'm going to find a way around. If we can find our way over _there_," he indicates toward the other side of the Temple, which is closer to dry land, "maybe we won't have to walk through so much water."

Jaden tilts her head slightly to one side. Up until this point, he had seemed like the overly eager one.

He colors a little. "Uh, new boots," he says sheepishly, lifting up one heel. "I don't wanna get them wet."

Jaden cannot suppress a laugh. "Okay then, but I'm going ahead, if you don't mind. I'm ready to get out of this jungle."

The boy hesitates. "Um, alright then! I guess I'll see you there."

Seeing him nervously eye her lightsaber, Jaden softens towards him. He must be worried about running into more howlers.

She grins at him. "Hey, they're nice. Good luck keeping them pristine while you're 'traveling the galaxy.' "

He laughs sheepishly. "Right. Guess I'll see you in a bit, Jaden."

"Sure thing, uh…"

"Rosh."

"Right. See you on the other side."

Jaden waves to her new classmate, then faces the temple and continues ahead. The sun warms her skin and seems to renew her strength and clarity of mind, and the water splashing around her feet is oddly refreshing.

Jaden begins to sense a strange aura about the temple as she draws closer and the water deepens to just above her knees. The area surrounding the temple is unusually silent; unnaturally silent. She shrugs it off. Most old temples give off creepy auras. But by the time the water level lowers once again and she reaches the steps, there is an almost physical sensation of silence, pressuring her temples.

She mounts the three steps to the platform and scans the length of temple for a way inside. She continues along the edge of the temple and finally comes to an opening to a corridor in the great, sloping wall.

Jaden hesitates. There is a disturbance in the Force at the opposite end of the temple. Best to see what is going on before going inside, she decides, then turns and walks back to where she left the water.

Back at the corner of the temple, Jaden determines that she is not alone. She senses another human presence, but some premonition tells her not to be seen. She hoists herself up to the first giant step of the temple to get a better view without being noticed.

Leaning close against the wall, she edges towards the opposite cornerstones of the temple. A humming, that she could not hear as much as _feel, _pulses in the empty air around her. The presence grows stronger as more of the adjacent side comes into her view.

Jaden stops and draws in her breath. The first thing she sees is a beam of golden yellow-light, then the long object it is attached to. Then, the three humanoid figures standing around the light.

She watches silently, crouched against the slant of the wall. Two broad-chested, masked men flank a scantily-dressed woman, who holds the object, some sort of scepter. She points it up towards the highest point of the temple. Its bright, golden-yellow light trembles. Jaden notices the violet makeup - tattoos? - embellishing her face. Is she some sort of cult leader?

* * *

"What?!"

The scepter jerks as a tap on her shoulder nudges Tavion from her Force-induced trance.

She registers a distant _thud_ as her vision clears and eventually reveals a human figure sprawled on the stone floor, by the opposite end of the temple's sloping form.

Tavion lowers the scepter. "Oops!"

She had not meant to strike the person, but momentarily lost control of the scepter when that idiot Reborn had disrupted her. The beam of energy could have grazed him or her, or even just gotten a little too close. The scepter's beam, when activated, holds such a high concentration of Force energy that direct contact with it can be lethal. If a person were even to get too close, it could easily render him unconscious.

She would have liked to complete the siphoning, but the human presence was not a good sign. An unconscious body on the Temple's grounds would generate suspicion; a dead body could stir up more trouble than she had intended to. She sighs and makes her way swiftly across the Temple grounds, over to the body, with the Reborn following sevear paces behind.

Tavion studies the young woman sprawled before her. The scepter's latest casualty is oddly striking, having fallen in a sort of model's pose, with one arm lying above her head and the other resting across her abdomen, the smooth, brown-nearly-black hair falling around her features in an annoyingly flattering way. Tavion shakes her head. If only we all could fall this gracefully.

"What's this?" Tavion nudges the unconscious girl's arm with the toe of a tall, black bantha hide boot.

She does not need to look closely - she can sense through the Force that the girl has only been knocked out, and would regain consciousness momentarily.

Then, she notices the lightsaber clipped to her belt.

_A Jedi initiate. _Tavion draws back. It makes sense that the intiates may have scattered after the crash. Perhaps some had been closer to the Academy than she thought, and others, probably disoriented, would finding their way to the temple. She closes her eyes and reaches out to the Force, and realizes with surprise that multiple Force presences approach the temple. More Jedi.

Why are they coming to the temple? Did _all _of those idiot children lose their way?

Suddenly, it occurs to Tavion that it could be planned. Had these students been instructed to meet at the temple?

She sighs. They would have to cut their visit short.

"She'll wake up soon. We'll leave her here where she will find the other Jedi. They'll think it's just first-day nerves." Tavion chuckles to herself, but continues to examine the young initiate's face with curiosity as she reaches for her Comlink.

She presses a button to reach her apprentice, who is now at the Academy. "Alora, your status?"

Alora takes one last glance around Master Luke Skywalker's study as her Master's sharp voice crackles through the Com.

She checks the status of the portable drive nested in the computer containing the

necessary records.

"Complete, my Master," she assure.

"Excellent. Get back to the ship, now."

Tavion waits for Alora to confirm, then addresses the Reborn.

"We don't have much time before the Jedi get back to the Academy. Or here, to us.

Either way, our work here is done. For now."


	2. A Day in the Life of a Jedi

The smooth stone floor is warm, unyielding, and strangely comforting. Jaden is dimly aware of the faint tapping of footsteps on solid stone.

A distant voice comes into earshot. "...should alert the med wing-"

"Hang on a minute, Luke," says a much closer voice. "Look, here she comes."

Jaden's eyes wander across the vast golden-yellow surface, and eventually reach the form of a human kneeling beside her. Her gaze continues upwards to register a forty- something man's face, with a trim, grayish-brown beard and handsome features, studying her own.

"Um...hi," Jaden stammers. "Are you…"

"Kyle Katarn, at your service."

"Jaden Korr." Her head throbs as she tries to sit up, but succeeds only in propping herself up on her elbows.

Kyle Katarn's presence is calming, and the expression in his brown eyes suggests a deep sensitivity. A Jedi Master, perhaps. He must be from the Academy.

"I ran over here to find you just lying here, unconscious," an overzealous voice causes Jaden's head to throb even more.

She turns her head towards the second speaker, who is standing over her other side, and recognizes him as the boy from the shuttle.

Jaden rubs her temple. "What happened?"

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us," says Kyle Katarn. The man extends his hand and Jaden grasps it.

Once seated upright, Jaden notices another man, fair-haired and black-clad, approaching. He practically radiates calm and the Force. Another Jedi Master, for sure.

The Jedi regards her, his expression of deep thought and concern. "Do you remember anything?"

Jaden quickly collects her thoughts. She is relieved that a distinct - if fragmented - memory comes back to her.

"I saw three people. One of them was holding some sort of scepter and it was glowing. That's all I can remember."

Kyle Katarn and the other man exchange glances.

The blond man speaks first. "Kyle, why don't you -"

"-stay here and investigate? I'd love to," Katarn cuts in, rising to face the other Jedi at eye-level. "Why don't you take the kids back home?"

The two Jedi look at each other intensely, wordlessly communicating. This scepter must be a very serious matter.

"Be careful, Kyle," the blond man finally says, putting his hand on Katarn's shoulder.

Katarn nods. He turns back to Jaden and reaches for her hand again. This time, he helps her all the way to her feet.

He nods to Jaden, then to Rosh. "Welcome to a day in the life of a Jedi. I'll be seeing you kids back at the Academy."

The initiates nod in return. Katarn leaves them, and begins to walk along the perimeter of the Temple.

The other Jedi turns his attention to the new students. "A replacement shuttle from the Academy is waiting at the Temple's entrance. It should take us to the Academy in under five minutes."

He turns and walks towards the Temple entrance.

Jaden starts after him, then stops after several paces. Rosh has not followed.

She looks over her shoulder to find Rosh gaping after the Jedi Master.

"Was that - I think…wait, I think that was Luke Skywalker!"

* * *

"This place is amazing!" Rosh whispers into her ear for the third time.

Jaden is beginning to grow tired of her new friend's company, but can certainly appreciate the beauty he repeatedly points out. The richly colored landscape is a sharp contrast from the aggressive industrial mayhem that had been inescapable on Coruscant. Another sharp contrast is the air, impossibly clear and cool. The ground feels soft, suggestive of recent rain. She suspects it must rain often here.

The group from the shuttle, of about twenty-five, is diverse. There are Twi'leks with brightly colored skin on display, Kel Dorians in heavy face masks, wide-eyed Rodians, and a handful of other humans.

They drag their luggage, which, to their relief, was all recovered from the crashed shuttle. It had been waiting for them in a welcoming pile on the floor of the Assembly Hall, where the initiates checked in and received dormitory assignments and identification cards. The Jedi Master who had led them to the replacement shuttle, who was, in fact, the Grand Master Luke Skywalker, had given them a brief greeting and introduction, and instructed an apprentice to lead them to their dormitories.

Jaden listens with one ear to the apprentice, a Zabrak female seeming not much older than herself, who leads the crowd of initiates from the main halls through the courtyards and grounds towards the living quarters.

They pass wide expanses of training grounds, separated by occasional waterfalls and stone walls, and cross bridges over the bubbling water. Beyond the Academy's buildings and training grounds, hilltops stretch for what seems like miles around. The vibrant grass practically glows beneath the fading sunlight and a nearly cloudless sky.

This is unparalleled calm, what the Jedi desire most. But it now occurs to Jaden what a juxtaposition this is from the reality of their existence. Did the Jedi not constantly put themselves in harm's way for the galaxy?

Welcome to a day in the life of a Jedi, Kyle Katarn had said back at the temple. Jaden had not thought much of it, but now wonders how many levels of meaning had been behind that statement. Had he simply meant that their first day at the Academy began their lives as Jedi? Or had he been referring to the unexpected adventure of finding their way through a forest after their shuttle had plummeted from the sky, then Jaden being thrown off her feet after a strange encounter with mysterious people?

These thoughts and her physical fatigue suddenly overwhelm Jaden. To her relief, the apprentice points out the cluster of smaller, single-level buildings before them as their dormitories.

The four long, narrow dormitories, their stone-and-duracrete hybrid mimicking the walls of the main buildings, form a rectangle. A fountain bubbles in the center of the rectangular courtyard, surrounded by a short stone wall which contains the shallow pool of water.

Jaden sets down her duffel and checks the piece of flimsi the administrators had handed her in the assembly hall. "A3, Rm. 314," followed by a barel-legible access code, is hand-written across the top of a rough map of the Academy's campus.

Briefly studying the map before glancing around the courtyard once again, she matches her assigned dormitory with one of the four nearly-identical buildings.

Jaden hoist her duffel back over her shoulder and follows a small group of female initiates to the entrance. She glances around for Rosh. She had figured he must be headed for his own dormitory, but the familiar presence is close, a bit too close...

"Isn't this great, Jaden?" the excited voice calls from behind her. "I can't wait to check this place out."

Jaden holds back a sigh and turns to the voice.

"Actually, I think I will need to rest for a while," she replies.

Rosh's expression falls slightly, and a pinch of guilt makes her offer a weak smile.

"It's been a long day. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"No problem. See you soon, Jaden!"

Confusion, excitement and nervousness bubble around her as the other young women chatter and look for their rooms. She feels she should at least make an effort to interact with them, but she desperately needs to be alone for a while. There would be plenty of opportunities to get acquainted later, she tells herself.

She passes several other rooms and the shared freshner, and finally reaches her own room, the last in the hall. She swipes her ID card in the slot, quickly glances down at the flimsi and enters six digits into the keypad. The lock opens with a satisfying buzz-click at the first attempt. Jaden enters her new room and drops her duffel.

As expected, the accommodations are simple. A chest of drawers on one end, a small table and chair on another end. At the foot of the low, small cot, plain sheets and a rough-looking blanket are folded neatly on top of a thin pillow. It is no fancy hotel bed, but at this moment, it is every bit as appealing as a pile of down pillows covered with the most lavish velvets. Filled with relief, Jaden sinks onto the cot and settles into a meditation. But, rather than the welcoming darkness she is used to having greet her with each meditation, the first thing she sees is the blinding flash of light from the Temple.

* * *

_Dark Angel_, Tavion's Quarters

Tavion meditates with both palms resting upon the hilt of the scepter. She feels the power she has just harvested from the Temple. The recent memory flickers through her mind, accompanying the Force energy she had felt. Her grip tightens momentarily at a sudden ripple in the flow of the Force. This must have been from when she had struck the Academy initiate.

Tavion's fingers relax again as she anticipates the end of the flow of power, as this was when she had stopped the siphoning. But she still detects the girl's presence, the slightest tendril of light within the comparative wealth of Dark Force power from the Temple.

Tavion opens her eyes. How could this seemingly weak speck of light cut through all that darkness?

The Sith closes her eyes once again and reaches out to the glowing beacon. The familiar feeling of intense desire seizes her, one that tends to accompany coveting whatever she cannot have.

But Tavion Axmis, soon-to-be Sith lord, will no longer need to covet. Soon, she will have enough power to get whatever she wants.

Having easily killed other humans with the scepter, Tavion is familiar with its power and danger. She is sure that the light she sensed in the meditation is tied to that Jedi initiate. Is it possible that, if used correctly, this scepter could reach within living individuals? Would it have been possible that she had siphoned just the slightest bit of the initiate's energy in the scepter beam's miniscule contact with her?

Tavion opens her eyes once again and turns the scepter over in her palms. Must it be used solely for killing and harvesting Force power, then? or might it have a more strategic use, one that could benefit her in the long term?

She would find out, and use the scepter to its full potential.

Tavion owes this manner of strategy to her training. Desann had trained with the most powerful of Jedi Masters before embracing the Dark Side. He taught Tavion patience, a vital asset, but one that many Dark Force users confuse with weakness. The Sith value acting on one's emotions, letting them fuel their power. But they also value perfection, and power should not be pursued too hastily, at the cost of perfection. This attention to detail, in combination with a tremendous lust for power, would make Tavion Axmis deadly.

Still, the Jedi stand in her way. The Disciples of Ragnos would need an ally, that much is clear. But how to to find one, and whom? Most Sith would go straight for the kill: snatch up any weak Jedi apprentice and turn him as quickly as possible.

But Tavion does not want just any weak Jedi. She would need a powerful ally, one strong in the Force, who deeply understands the ways of the Jedi, but who could embrace the Dark Side and contribute to it his strength. The beacon she had encountered in her meditation returns to her, and she shivers with the return of the chill of longing.

Tavion rises and returns the scepter to the corner of the chamber. She has sensed her apprentice's presence. Alora must have recently returned from her assignment at the Academy to the _Dark Angel_, stationed safely and inconspicuously far from the Academy. Tavion exits her quarters and steps onto the bridge of her ship. Surely enough, her apprentice stands before her.

"Did you recover Skywalker's records?" Tavion inquires.

The flush of pride and excitement deepens Alora's already- naturally red complexion.

"Yes. With all the Jedi in the forest, it was almost too easy."


	3. Training Buddies

The assembly chamber teems with nerves. Scanning the crowd of 25 or so, from the front of the hall where he stands with the other Masters, Kyle identifies the two students he and Luke had run into at the temple, whom he had agreed to take on.

The two initiates talk excitedly. Well, the young man talks excitedly. He stands almost uncomfortably close to the young woman, who occasionally nods politely at his exclamations, but is clearly focused elsewhere, as she makes an effort to appear calm despite nerves and mild irritation. The young man obliviously chatters on.

Master Corran Horn nudges Kyle, having made the same observation.

"Good luck with that one," Corran murmurs.

Kyle chuckles. "I've handled far worse. Besides, I like the enthusiasm."

Silence settles as Luke Skywalker ascends the steps at the front of the hall.

"I'd like to welcome all our new students to the Jedi Academy. Here, we will train you in the ways of the Force. You will learn to defend yourself with a lightsaber. You will also study dimplomacy, history, and more. It has been the practice of the Jedi to assign each student to a Master. However, since there are still so few of us, each Master may have one or more students."

As usual, the Grand Master and head of the Jedi Academy had already studied the new initiates' profiles and learned their names.

Luke consults his datapad. "Raltharan, you will be assigned to Master Horn."

A wide-eyed Rodian boy glances over Luke's shoulder in the Masters' direction. Corran nods to his new student.

Making his way slowly along the line of initiates, Luke reaches Rosh and Jaden.

"Rosh Penin, you will be assigned to Master Katarn. Jaden Korr, you'll also work with Master Katarn."

Rosh and Jaden each catch Kyle's eye. Kyle nods to them.

Once Luke has matched all the initiates, he says, "Let's begin with our first lessons. And may the Force be with you."

The hall livens, once again, with the hum of conversation, as each Master approaches his new student. Or students.

Luke catches Kyle's shoulder as they cross paths.

"Did you find anything at the Temple?"

* * *

Rosh turns to Jaden as the hall slowly empties. "I can't believe we're going to be training buddies! Aren't you excited, Jaden?"

"You bet."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rosh starts towards Masters Katarn and Skywalker.

"Seems like they're having a private conv- …" Jaden begins, but Rosh is already halfway to them, leaving Jaden no choice but to follow.

"...and there was nothing," Kyle was saying. "But the area around the temple felt strange, like its Dark Side aura was...gone."

Luke frowns. "Troubling."

He then glances at the two initiates, and quickly erases any hint of trouble from his expression. "But let's look into this later. Your students are ready to get started."

Luke retreats at a brisk pace, leaving Kyle alone with his new initiates.

Their nerves and excitement are palpable. Rosh can hardly stand still. Jaden seems to have recovered nicely from the incident at the temple, her gaze now clear and focused. The mid-morning sunlight filters in from the open-air front of the hall and casts light over her face, making her dark eyes even more vibrant, as she regards Kyle with gentle curiosity.

Rosh is first to break the silence. "Master Katarn," he lowers his head, practically bowing, "it is an _honor _to be serving under you."

Kyle looks at the young man with amusement. In his peripheral vision he notices Jaden quickly looking away, embarrassed for Rosh.

"First off, just call me 'Kyle,' " he says. "Titles make my skin crawl. Secondly, you're not _serving under _me. I'm gonna teach you, and you're gonna learn. That's it."

Rosh's pale complexion deepens to that of a tomato.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I…"

Kyle laughs. "Don't worry, Rosh; you didn't. I've been offended by professionals. Now, let's see what you two kids can do. Follow me to the training grounds."

Kyle leads his new students through the Assembly Hall. Once outside, the recently-bright sky is beginning to cloud with purplish-gray. Already, they feel the first drops of rain.

"Welcome to Yavin IV," Kyle says dryly.

There is several minutes walk to the training courses Luke had assigned to Kyle for that day.

"This is one of the many training grounds here at the Academy," says Kyle. "I'm going to put you two in separate courses.

He gestures to a door in a towering stone wall.

"When you're ready, Jaden, go through that door. Rosh, follow me."

Jaden approaches the entrance to her course as Kyle leads Rosh through the door to the neighboring course. They enter a new enclosed, grassy area.

Kyle climbs up the slant of the wall which divides the two courses.

"This course will familiarize you with your core Force abilities," he says. Jaden looks around and is a bit startled to see him walking on top of one of the walls.

"These are powers that every Force user has," Kyle continues. "As you progress in your training, you will learn new abilities. Both the Light and Dark Sides will be open to you. Remember, abilities are not inherently good _or _evil. It's how you use them that matters. Every Jedi is naturally stronger in different areas of the Force, and it will be up to you to decide what to focus on."

Using his datapad, Kyle activates the doors in his students' chambers leading into the next chamber.

"All right, let's get started. In the next area, you'll find some training remotes. These will help you learn how to handle a lightsaber."

Kyle cannot help but chuckle at the waves of unease coming at him from both sides.

"Don't worry," he assures his students. "The remotes are designed for basic training. Getting hit won't feel like more than a pinch. Ready?"

"Ready!" Rosh chirps.

"Ready…" says Jaden, more tentatively.

The students enter the training remotes chamber.

"Here come the remotes," Kyle warns.

* * *

Jaden ignites her lightsaber as a single remote descends from over one of the walls. The tiny spherical object looks harmless, but begins pelting tiny laser beams at Jaden. She catches the beams with her lightsaber, then moves forward to attack the remote.

She is about to strike the remote while catching a string of its laser beams when she feels a stinging on her left shoulder. Another remote had appeared behind her.

Jaden swings her lightsaber in an attempt to slash the first remote, but it moves out of her way as she turns to face the other. Now, a third and fourth remote trail behind the second. Several beams strike her at once from different directions.

"Done!" Rosh's gleeful shout carries over the stone wall.

"Nice work, Rosh," says Kyle.

Jaden wipes the raindrops from her face with the back of her hand. There is a loud _zap_ behind her, and she turns just in time to see the first remote hit the ground. Master Katarn and his lightsaber seem to appear out of nowhere. With a single swipe of bright blue, all three remaining remotes drop to the ground at once.

"We'll work on it," Kyle says quickly, before jumping back up to the walkway between courses.

"Your lightsaber is a valuable tool," he continues, walking along the wall to the next division. "Even when inactive, it can diffuse a potentially volatile situation. Trust me on that."

Jaden follows the sound Kyle's voice towards her next division.

"As you train, you'll learn additional fighting styles," he explains. "Changing styles during combat can surprise your opponent, allowing you to gain the upper hand."

Kyle meets Jaden and Rosh at the open space where they exit and the two courses meet. From here, the courses would diverge, intersect at various points, and ultimately end at the same point.

"From here on out, we'll talk via comlink in each area. Let's move on."

Kyle directs Jaden and Rosh to their respective entrances.

Jaden enters a more open area and hears a faint sound of flowing water. She follows the sound and comes to a ravine. Ancient-looking remains of a bridge are at either side of the ravine, leaving a gap several meters wide.

"Okay, Jaden. You'll need to use the Force to jump over the ravine. It shouldn't be a problem. If you fall, jump back up and try again."

Jaden closes her eyes and lets the soothing sound of the flowing water clear her mind. She gets a running start and jumps over the ravine. She continues through the entryway, then pauses. She seems to have come to a dead end.

"You'll have to use Push to get out of here and into the next area."

Unsure, Jaden reaches out and directs her energy to the bottom of the wall. It crumbles, revealing an opening tall and wide enough for her to crawl through.

"Hey, Jaden!" Rosh's voice calls from above. Rosh stands on a walkway atop the stone wall which encloses her section of the course. "This should keep you busy 'till I finish the course!"

He palms a section of the stone wall along the walkway.

"Huh?"

But Rosh had already disappeared into his next area. Jaden cranes her neck towards the wall, hoping to figure out what Rosh had done. But her attention snaps to the wall directly beneath where Rosh had disappeared, where a door which she had not noticed before, slides open. A sense of danger presses within her gut.

Jaden hears the clumsy, metallic clanging before she sees it. Then, an oddly-shaped shadow extends from the opening. It stands nearly twice her height, and is probably several times her body mass.

* * *

Kyle leans against a wall, making notes on his datapad. The kids wouldn't be quite halfway through, so he has a bit of time to kill before they finish. _Day one. Basic training courses. Core Force abilities, training remotes. _Kyle pauses at a small but unexpected disturbance within the training course. One of the training droids had been activated.

Kyle sighs. Never a dull moment, not even on the first day of basic training. He jumps back to the top of the stone wall and follows it along Rosh's course, which would take him to the area where the training droids are housed.

He reaches the walkway that overlooks the training droids' section of the course, where Rosh should have just passed through. He drops to a crouch. From his perch, he sees Jaden and a droid face-to-face, not quite within striking range of one another. Ahead, on the wall of the walkway, there is a board activation switches and controls for the droids.

Good, the droid had been set to its lowest level. Kyle would not have to step in, but he stays behind to see how Jaden would handle the situation.

* * *

Jaden blinks. Is this supposed to be part of her course?

The droid pauses and lingers momentarily, then brandishes a glaring yellow lightsaber.

Jaden jumps back, fighting off increasing panic as she fumbles for her own lightsaber. No, definitely not part of the course. The droid lunges.

She leaps out of the way, but the droid is fast. She begins frantically blocking the yellow blade, the droid is much stronger than she, pushing her own blade with their impacts. She manages to dodge a swing from the droid and jump further out of the way. In the split seconds she is out of the droid's striking range, a few frantic thoughts surge through her at once. She is outmatched, the droid would injure her, Master Katarn would have to come to her rescue, and it would be known that she had failed to make it through the Academy's most basic training course.

But droid leaves her no more time to worry. With a single leap, it intersects her path to the exit.

* * *

Feeling the powerful waves of fear from his new student, Kyle resists an urge to send calming feelings through the Force, or to give instructions. She is avoiding the droid, blocking his advances, but is too afraid to strike.

Once the droid has cornered her and she has no choice, she takes a strike at the droid's right leg. It staggers. Confidence slightly restored, she jabs at the same leg, then in the center of the torso while the droid is regaining balance. After one more strike to the midsection, the droid crumples to the ground.

Kyle watches Jaden stand still for a long moment, catching her breath. Her relief and receding fear are potent. Finally, she deactivates her lightsaber. Once Jaden makes her way through the next section's entryway, Kyle continues along the walkway. He speaks into his comlink.

"What took you so long, Jaden?"

"Nothing," she says, sounding exhausted and dejected.

"You're sure?"

"It was nothing," she repeats, now with an edge of agitation.

"If you say so. To get to the next area, you must pull a lever somewhere in the room. But you can't reach the lever with your hands."

* * *

Jaden scans the small space she has just entered, mind still racing. A lever. Could it be on the ceiling? Or not even immediately visible?

"Remember to examine your environment carefully," Kyle continues.

Jaden notices a set of bars covering a hollowed-out portion of the stone wall by the floor. Deep within the wall, too deep to reach for between the bars, a wooden lever is mounted.

"When you're out on a mission, if you find a locked door," says Kyle, "look for the guy in charge. He usually has a key."

Katarn's mischevious tone is detectable, even over the comm. He must be remembering a specific instance or two, and something tells Jaden that Kyle is not thinking of a time he approached "the guy in charge" and asked politely for a key.

_Focus, Jaden._ She examines the lever. Now she can sense its hardness, its resistance, the strength it would take to move it. She feels the lever's presence as though she were touching it with her own flesh. In the Force, she reaches for it. It slides towards her and door before her slides open.

The next space is darker yet.

"Solutions to a problem aren't always obvious. Use your Force _Sense _to see if you can find a way out of the room."

Jaden glances around. The room is very dimly lit, and of course, there is no immediately obvious way out. Would another droid jump out and attack? Jaden tries to calm herself, knowing she could never use Force Sense with her mind racing like this. _No more droids here. You're fine. No more droids, _she repeats to herself.

Jaden closes her eyes, breathes deeply, and extends her senses. Somehow, the wall to her left draws her attention. She opens her eyes to study it.

It is too dark to make out any details. She focuses on the surface, tuning out the rest of the space. She senses strength and weakness. Tiny irregularities exist within the wall where certain areas are weaker than others.

She extends her hand to the wall. Remembering the technique from the previous area, she reaches out with the Force and pulls. One stone quivers and slides from its lodging place towards her, then stops. Jaden reaches for another section of wall, higher up and closer to the platform, and another stone slowly juts out towards her. Finally, she reaches up and pulls out a third stone. Using the three stones as stairs, she jumps up to the platform and is relieved to find an exit passage.

Light filters into the end of the passage, then grass. She inhales the fresh air, relieved, to be back on ground level.

"You're almost done," says Katarn's voice as Jaden enters a new section. "You'll need to move fast in this next area. You can use the Force to speed up, both physically and mentally, allowing you more time to make decisions."

Jaden faces a long, narrow passage, leading to a open doorway. The door begins to descend, and she suddenly realizes what Kyle had meant. It would be closed much sooner than she would be able to get through at a normal pace. She runs toward the door, focusing intently on it.

She does not feel herself speed up so much as she feels the door slow down. Her entire field of vision seems to blur except for the shrinking space between the door and the ground. At the last second she crouches and slides under the door.

Jaden rises and brushes the dirt from her clothes. Slightly dizzy and disoriented, it takes her a moment to realize they have ended up by the main hall, where they had left a short while ago. Katarn waits by the hall's entrance. Rosh emerges from an exit at the other side of the field. He runs to Katarn. Jaden makes her way to them in less of a hurry, not wanting to keel over in front of them.

"So. Did I win?" Rosh is panting. He glances hurriedly from Kyle to Jaden.

Meanwhile, their Master had been staring Rosh down sternly.

"It wasn't a competition."

Rosh reddens. "I'm sorry. I…"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

The initiates look at one another for a moment, both confused. Then, they seem to have the same realization at once. So Master Katarn had found out that Rosh had set the droid on Jaden.

"It's no big deal," Jaden replies, more coldly than she'd intended to. "You said yourself this wasn't a competition." Though she had meant to convey that the incident truly had been no big deal to her, she does not completely succeed.

"Hey, it was just a joke!" Rosh laughs nervously. "I didn't think it would -"

"If that droid had been set to Luke's training regimen, it would have _killed _Jaden," says Kyle. "What were you thinking?"

So the droid _could _have killed her. Jaden is momentarily seized with a strange combination of disbelief, relief and anger. She takes a deep breath and folds her arms against her chest, looking away from Rosh and Kyle to try to bring her thoughts to order.

Rosh's intense shame and regret fill the air between the two students.

"Jaden, I'm so sorry," Rosh stammers. "I can't believe I...I mean, I wasn't trying to…"

"Save it, Rosh," Jaden says coolly, continuing to stare at the training grounds.

A strange sensation of calm reaches her and slightly relaxes her. It takes her a moment of confusion to realize that Katarn had projected the feeling through the Force.

"Jaden, you have a right to be angry," her new Master's voice is calm and steady, now without its earlier stern edge. "But, believe me when I say you don't want to feed that emotion."

Of course, she doesn't want feed anger. _Anger leads to hate. And hate, leads..._She does not need to finish the thought. She steals a glance at Rosh, a ball of tension and emotion, looking horrified at the thought that he might have harmed his new "training buddy." Now sufficiently more calm, she turns back to face her Master.

"I understand, Master Katarn." Then, nodding to Rosh, "Apology accepted, Rosh."

Rosh looks as though he might faint from relief.

Katarn nods, satisfied. "Good, that's settled. And remember, it's 'Kyle.' "

"Yes, Mas - uh, Kyle."

"Sure thing, Kyle!"

"Okay, you're both ready to start putting what you've learned to use. Let's see how you do in the real world."

Then, Luke Skywalker emerges from the building. He is calm, but there is a sense of urgency about him.

"Kyle," he begins, "I did some research on that strange mark from the clothing we found at the temple. It is the symbol of Marka Ragnos, a Sith Lord that died almost five thousand years ago."

"Five _thousand years_?" Kyle responds. "Are you serious? Wait..._of course_ you're serious."

Skywalker nods. "While you're out training your students, be on the lookout for information regarding a group affiliated with Ragnos."

"Sure thing, Luke."

Luke disappears back into the hall, with Kyle close behind.

Jaden starts after the Masters. Though she had forgiven Rosh, she feels ready to spend some much-needed time away from him.

"Jaden?"

Sighing, Jaden looks back over her shoulder at Rosh.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it, Rosh."

Rosh nervously rubs the back of his neck. "I really am sorry. I...I don't know what I was thinking."

Jaden sighs again and turns to face Rosh. Though still shaken from the encounter with the droid, she manages to force a smile.

"Look, I said it was okay. I've already accepted your apology. We can forget about it now."

"Okay. But I still feel really bad. It scares me...to think that thing could have hurt you."

"Hey, you didn't know. And I survived. That's what matters, right?"

Rosh is practically shaking, and his widened, dark eyes have a pleading quality. He reminds Jaden, in this moment, of a large puppy begging her to play.

"Yeah, I guess so," Rosh finally says, his relief trickling into the Force. "Well, I'm glad we're okay, Jaden."

"Me too."

Rosh hesitates a moment, then suddenly reaches his arms outwards and towards his friend.

"Jaden, can we hug it out?"

Jaden laughs, this time with a genuine smile. Her training partner's awkwardness has become too much for her to keep taking the conversation seriously. Rosh _is _a large puppy, she realizes. His eagerness and longing for his master's attention is unbeatable, and now he is begging for Jaden's companionship. It would be very difficult to stay mad at a puppy.

"Yes, of course we can." She takes a step forward and lets Rosh put his arms around her.


	4. Chapter 4

Having left his students to settle their business, Kyle catches up to Luke Skywalker, presumably en route to his study. Luke nods acknowledgement as they fall into step.

"I wanted to update my records with your findings on the Massassi Temple," Luke says. "Do you have a free moment?"

"Sure thing."

They continue around the corner towards the turbolifts. They nod to other Masters and new students, also returning from the basic training courses.

"How was your students' first day on the grounds?" Luke asks.

"Pretty uneventful, unless you count when one set a training droid on the other," Kyle replies.

"Oh?" The two Jedi share a flicker of amusement.

They stop at a turbolift, and Luke presses a button.

"Luckily, it was set to basic. Kid handled it okay, it just gave her a bit of a scare," Kyle elaborates. "But it made for an interesting exchange when they finished the course."

Both men laugh as the lift arrives and the doors hiss open before them. They enter, and Luke presses the button for the topmost level.

"I trust Rosh learned his lesson, then?" Luke asks as the doors slide shut.

"You bet he did. He looked like an eopie in a rancor pit," Kyle recalls, chuckling. "Good kid, just very eager to please. Maybe a bit over-confident. We'll work on that."

"And Jaden?"

"The opposite, if anything. I was feeling a lot of unease from her throughout her course." The doors hiss open, and they exit at the Academy's topmost level, which contains the assembly hall, a council meeting chamber, and Luke Skywalker's private study.

As they walk the perimeter of the now-empty assembly chamber towards Luke's study, Kyle continues, "I snuck in when I realized the droid had been activated. For a minute there, I thought I'd have to step in, since she spent the majority of the time avoiding it. Afraid to strike at it herself."

Luke nods knowingly. Both over- and under-confidence, though common in Jedi students, were problems and could become dangerous out in the real world. But both initiates show promise, and Luke trusts Kyle as a highly skilled Jedi Master, excellent teacher, and old friend.

"Well, it sounds as though they will be able to learn from each other. Plus, they're in good hands," Luke says.

"Thanks, Luke."

When they reach the entrance to Luke's study, Luke motions for Kyle to enter.

In a rapid flurry of buttons and access codes, Luke pulls up his files where he had carefully recorded his findings on various places he has felt strong or interesting connections to the Force.

Luke brings up "Massassi Temple, Yavin IV," where he had already noted a strong dark-side connection. He begins to key in what Kyle had said to him that morning. "The area around the Temple felt strange, as though its dark-side aura was..." Luke pauses. Something barely detectable, non-urgent had gently nudged him in the Force.

He pulls up "times accessed" in his files.

15:27 the day before. As he recalls, this had been very close to the shuttle crash. He checks his datapad. He had recieved the urgent message about the shuttle crash at 15:12. Luke had left his study as soon as he'd received the message.

"Strange," Luke muses.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone was in here while we were at the Temple."

"You're joking, right?"

Luke gestures to the list of "times accessed," shaking his head in befuddlement as well as to respond in the negative.

"These computers have some of the most advanced security technology available," Kyle protests.

"Which is why there's no way this could be an error."

Kyle nods. Indeed, Luke had the most advanced security technology available, and then some. The Jedi Grand Master had upgraded his security systems himself, installing "firewalls" of Force energy as "enzymes" to intercept invasions.

"So this individual must have used some Force-powered hacking technology," Kyle concludes.

"...which was probably the same technology he or she used to get in here."

"Okay. But why would someone want _that_ badly to access your records of places where you've felt strong connections to the Force?"

Luke shakes his head again. He settles into a meditative state, and Kyle waits.

Luke's eyes open moments later.

"Kyle, you said that the area around the Temple felt strange, as though its dark side aura was gone. What if the people Jaden saw there had done something to the Temple's aura to make it so?"

"Using that glowing scepter of theirs. With their ancient Sith lord markings. Sounds like some sort of cult to me."

They sit in silence a moment longer.

Kyle speaks first. "So, are you calling a meeting?"

"Not just yet. I want to figure out exactly what happened before I worry everyone."

"Good call. If those people Jaden saw at the Temple have any connection with this break-in, we should figure that out. I'll start on whatever research I can do."

Luke nods, and begins typing commands. "I'm sharing my list with you. Contact anyone you know on these worlds. See what you can find out about a group affiliated with Marka Ragnos. I doubt they'd have exactly made themselves an obvious presence, but maybe someone out there has seen someone, or heard something."

Kyle rises. "Sure, Luke."

"May the Force be with you."

* * *

Jaden gradually sinks back into the present moment from her meditation. To transition from internal to external focus, she watches the faint shapes dance behind her closed eyelids. Between and around them is the familiar light she had encountered at the Temple the day before, which had been a constant throughout the meditation, as it had in her meditation the day before. It sometimes appeared in all-encompassing brightness, sometimes in a concentrated beam, but was always there.

She opens her eyes, and the light is gone. Still transitioning from her meditative state, she looks ahead of her at the blank walls. She welcomes the dullness of her small chamber, a contrast from the sometimes piercing light she had just seen.

Still, the meditation has calmed her after the events of that morning.

Rosh had just about talked her ear off in the dining area - apparently, the drama of basic training had been forgotten - and the initiates had had an hour or so to rest before they were due for another meeting at the assembly hall.

Jaden rises to examine herself in the mirror. The reflection is weary, tired, with hair tangled and misshapen. Acceptable, she decides, if a bit disheveled. _Three potentially near-death experiences in two days would do that to you_, she supposes. She unfastens the unraveling braid, which had held back a portion of her straight, dark hair, and begins to re-tie it.

Perhaps this meeting would finally be an opportunity to interact with fellow students, other than Rosh. Not that she is in a rush to socialize, but she is curious about their own first-day experiences. Had they entered their training courses confidently, or had they been unsure, then afraid, as she was? Had they had trouble with training remotes? Had other students assigned in pairs become suddenly so starved with a desire to finish first that they had tried to sabotage one another with training droids?

She smiles at the thought as she fastens her braid. The incident had been unpleasant, but after having had time to reflect, she can admit that hers and Rosh's partnership may be for the better. Rosh clearly has not a single mean fiber in his being, and behind his inability to leave her and others alone, there lies a fierce loyalty. Whether she likes it or not, this loud, socially clueless boy is her friend.

Jaden casts one more glance into the mirror, then around the room. She wouldn't need all of her belongings for an orientation meeting. She starts to leave empty-handed, then with a last-second change of mind, turns back for her lightsaber.

* * *

The assembly hall has a completely different appearance and feeling in darkness than it had in daylight. It is quieter in every sense, the absence of the comparitive noise and movement of the daytime giving it a comforting stillness. Several glow rods mounted to the walls provide light, but the striking light from several bright stars and moons throw faint squares through the front viewports over the stone floor.

Several Masters, whom Jaden does not recognize, congregate in the same corner where they had stood that morning. Two apprentices sit on the bottom two steps in the front of the hall, with a large durasteel case between them. One is Cora, the Zabrak girl who had taken the initiates through the grounds the day before.

The other is a muscular young man several years older than most initiates, wearing a sleek dark-maroon-and-black tunic. His golden-brown hair is unkempt in a neat, organized way, if such a thing were possible, jutting up and out in soft, tousled spikes. Jaden cannot help but wonder how much time the apprentice had spent on his hair that morning, or whether it had been as effortless as it looks. But, more interestingly, a thin braid hangs from behind his right ear and extends past his shoulder, and brushes the front of his tunic as he moves.

One of the Masters now stands at the foot of the steps, explaining something about classes and training sabers. Finally, he glances behind him at the apprentices.

"Apprentice Kaleb Rehn will sign out training sabers to those who still need them."

The Master and the apprentice exchange a nod. Kaleb Rehn reaches into the case and scoops out an armful of the training sabers. He rises, training sabers tucked under one arm and a datapad under the other, and approaches the far side of the hall. As the Master continues to discuss Academy procedures, whispers ensue.

"...strongest apprentice here…

"...they said he's on the brink of Jedi Knight..."

"...I'd sign out _his _'saber…"

Jaden watches the apprentice stop at each of the initiates, exchange a few hushed words, enter something into his datapad, and hand out a training saber - or, simply move on to the next student, if the first had already been assigned a training saber.

But all would have training sabers. Jaden realizes quickly that she is probably the only initiate who has her own lightsaber. She is unsure of whether she wants to broadcast to the entire initiate class that she already has her own lightsaber. She wishes she had left her lightsaber in her room. She mentally rehearses a simple, hushed _I'm all set, thanks._

Their side of the room quiets down as Rehn approaches. He reaches the initiate beside Jaden, a Twi'lek with vibrant orange skin.

"Your name?" He speaks softly, but his voice is clear and strong.

"Mina Soh." She smiles up at the apprentice, her own voice smooth and melodious.

He punches in something on the datapad, and hands Mina a training saber.

Only Jaden and Rosh remain. Jaden looks up at the apprentice, preparing to quietly explain that she has her own. But Rosh, standing on her other side, beats her to it.

"Jaden here certainly won't be needing one. She already has her own!" her training partner proclaims loudly and proudly. He waves his own training saber, which he had already been assigned, at the apprentice.

Jaden feels herself color as several pairs of inquisitive eyes turn towards her, and to the lightsaber clipped to her belt. The Master at the front of the hall had finished his introductions, and the hall had since quieted down. One gaze that particularly nudges her in the Force is that of the Twi'lek beside her. Jaden sees it in her peripheral vision, feeling something almost like suspicion from the other girl.

She also notices the searching gaze of the apprentice, a serious but gentle expression in the cool, grey-blue eyes which she hadn't noticed from a distance in the dark hall. Not to mention his jawline, square and defined like a model's.

Jaden straightens at a sudden realization that people are expecting her to speak. "Uh…" Not knowing whom to address, she glances at Rosh, then at the apprentice, then at the Twi'lek beside her. "Well, that's kind of a long story -"

"That concludes this meeting," says Kaleb Rehn, just loudly enough to reach all of the initiates, as he moves back to the front of the hall. His voice instantly draws everyone's attention, which, consequently, diverts it from Jaden.

Jaden flashes the apprentice a smile which she hopes conveys her relief and gratitude. As he continues to speak, he inclines his head ever so slightly towards her. _Your thanks have been received. _

"Check your datapads for schedule changes and assignments," he is saying. "You are now free to go, but if you have any questions, feel free to talk to Cora or myself."

No longer caring about meeting other students, Jaden starts towards the exit. But a voice behind her stops her in her tracks.

"So, you made it."

Jaden turns to see Mina Soh, the Twi'lek girl who had stood next to her, regarding her with curiosity. Soh's slightly low-cut training top hugs her slight body, and reveals a centimeter of the almost-jewel-toned skin below her waist. It takes Jaden a moment to realize the Twi'lek had been addressing her. "I'm sorry?"

"The lightsaber."

"Oh. Uh," she notices Rosh rapidly approaching and supresses a sigh. "Yes."

"No way!" Rosh exclaims, punching Jaden's shoulder.

The Twi'lek girl nods in admiration. "You must be quite advanced." A few other initiates had appeared around her, wanting in on the conversation.

Jaden laughs nervously. "No, I…honestly, I have no clue what I'm doing. In fact, I'd guess you are probably far ahead of myself."

The statement had been completely truthful, but for a split second, defensiveness clouds Mina's gorgeous, model-like features. Jaden hopes the other girl hadn't taken her reply the wrong way.

But Mina's expression softens, and she offers a smile Jaden could not quite interpret, but would not exactly call friendly.

"Well," she says, glancing at the initiates on either side of her, "I guess we'll see."


	5. Mos Eisley I

**_Hello! I decided to split the Mos Eisley mission over two chapters. I am still planning to post a July chapter in addition to Mos Eisley Part II. Thank you for reading. _**

The mid-morning sunlight is unforgiving despite the dense layer of violet-tinged clouds. Occasional strong-willed rays stab their ways through. _Like yellow lasers, overpowering the violet?_

_Very poetic, Jaden. Now focus, _Jaden chides herself_. _Battling heat and exhaustion as well as her partner, she has lost track of exactly how long she and Rosh had been out there. She has lost track of how many times the blade of Rosh's training saber, settings adjusted to one for beginning combat training, had struck her with hot stings, as well as how many times her partner had either driven her to the ground or cornered her. Each of those instances would have ended a real-life lightsaber battle.

Fortunately, it is not a real battle. They are sparring by the terrace of a back entrance of the Academy, the same place where Rosh's and Jaden's first training session had ended, somewhat dramatically, two days earlier. Despite the heat and humidity, Jaden wishes she had opted for long sleeves, as Rosh had, rather than short cap sleeves with only training gloves as protection against the searing surface of the blade. Not that Rosh's attire would have made a difference. Right, there is the one statistic Jaden has not lost track of: she has struck or cornered Rosh exactly zero times.

Earlier that morning, Kyle had trained Jaden one-on-one with the remotes, as promised. That hadn't gone much better than it had in the basic training course. Two remotes proved to be too many to handle. They would hover in different directions, so that she could only keep one in her field of vision at a time.

Kyle had stressed using the Force to keep track of one's surroundings and anticipate the opponent's actions. That Jaden could not afford to worry about each individual beam one remote pelts at her as she attacks the other, and must rely on the Force for both guidance and strength in combat. "You need to trust yourself, Kid," he kept saying. She hadn't fully understood. Yes, combat requires trust in one's strength in the Force. But where Jaden thought the Force had once rested reassuringly, there is now strange unknown territory.

Since Jaden had first learned she was Force-sensitive, the knowledge had been reassuring, even if she did not comprend it in the least. Finding out she was somehow connected to a force bigger than herself made her feel strange at first, but then strong and protected. She had known the Force was with her, and, though she had understood nothing about it, she had contented herself with the comfort of its presence and the anticipation that she would learn to use it someday.

But using it is not coming so easily. Jaden does her best to keep herself calm and focused on the violent dances of her violet blade against Rosh's yellow, extending her senses to Rosh and his lightsaber to anticipate his next move, as Kyle had explained. But he is too fast and strong for her to keep up. Kyle observes from his perch on the steps, saying little, except for occasional directions and reminders to use the Force.

Rosh seems to take these reminders a bit too seriously, as he occasionaly counters Jaden's more tentative advances with blasts of Force energy, knocking her backwards. After the third or fourth such move, Rosh reaches down to help her up. "Sorry, Jaden," he says. His expression is a conflicted mixture of triumph and unease.

"You don't have to apologize," she replies, forcing a smile as she grasps his hand.

Of course, Master Luke Skywalker chooses this exact moment to emerge from the exit onto the terrace. Kyle rises in greeting. "Luke. Have you come to share your expertise?"

The Grand Master smiles, but shakes his head. "Actually, I have an assignment for you."

"Already." Kyle's voice holds no surprise.

The students approach the Masters, Rosh somewhat starstruck again, and Jaden self-conscious, this being the second time the galaxy's most powerful Jedi Master had come across her sprawled on the ground.

"Yes," Luke addresses the students. "We need you to do some investigation. We've been receiving reports of a potential threat hiring smugglers, and we now know that one of the smuggling rings is based at Mos Eisley, on Tatooine."

"Cool," says the enraptured Rosh, in the same moment Jaden echoes, "a threat?"

Luke nods to Rosh. "Of course, Kyle will be going with you. It's only an investigation, but you never know who you'll end up dealing with. Master Horn and his student, Raltharan, will join you as well." He turns to Jaden. " A suspected threat, yes. Kyle will give you more details on the way. It would be best that you get there as soon as you can."

* * *

In the passenger cabin of the _Raven's Claw, _the three Jedi students regard one another, somewhat awkwardly, over the half-moon-shaped table, the anticipation of their first mission building the barrier of tension and nerves that tends to impede conversation. Ahead, Master Corran Horn has the controls, with Kyle beside him in the copilot's seat.

Rosh breaks the silence and addresses Raltharan. "So, do you, uh, have a last name? Or is it just 'Raltharan?'"

The rodian regards the human boy with what looks like incredulity, his eyes tremendous and unblinking. On second thought, they may not be particularly wide, by Rodian standards; all Rodians have huge, bug-like eyes, and his expression may as well be of boredom.

"You're sure you want to know?" Raltharan asks.

"Well, sure, it can't be that bad, can it?" Rosh prods.

Raltharan stares a moment longer, then utters a mouthful of syllables that amounts to something like "_jargioiefmijlnjeeel_."

Rosh blinks. He and Jaden exchange a glance before they gather that the boy had just said his family name. Rosh laughs uneasily. "I guess that's why we humans just avoid the last names. Point taken."

Raltharan's snout twichtes, and while the two humans are unfamiliar with the gesture, the exertion of warmth and humor in the Force suggests it is the Rodian equivalent of a smile. "It doesn't bother me," he says. "Even others from my homeworld have trouble pronouncing each others' names."

Kyle emerges from the cockpit. "I figured you might be wondering where we're taking you," he says, taking the bench opposite the three students at the table. They nod and laugh.

"As Luke explained, there are people we believe are hiring smugglers and mercenaries to haul some cargo, where we're going. Signs point to them being some sort of cult. They claim to serve Marka Ragnos, an ancient Sith Lord you may have heard myself and Luke talking about. Unfortunately, they're cropping up in multiple parts of the galaxy."

He shifts slightly to address Jaden. "We believe the people you...uh, encountered, back at the Massassi temple, are connected."

Jaden nods calmly, but Kyle feels her pale internally at the mention of her encounter at the temple.

"So, how did you find out about the smugglers?" Rosh asks.

"Master Skywalker and I did some research. We've been in contact with people on various worlds to find out if anyone's seen or heard anything suspicious. Luke found out about Mos Eisley through Han Solo, his brother-in-law, who, uh, knows a thing or two about the smuggling industry."

"What, exactly, will we do?" asks Raltharan.

Kyle shrugs. "We'll see what we can find out. Any information will be good information. If we can contact one of the mercenary groups, maybe we can find out the cult's base of operations."

"Sounds easy," says Rosh.

Kyle laughs. "Don't be so sure. It could be nasty. You'll find some of the galaxy's worst lowlifes on Tatooine."

This seems to perk Rosh up. "All right!" he says. "Finally, some real action."

Kyle nods in appreciation of Rosh's ungaurded enthusiasm, but Jaden had not said a word since they had boarded the ship, and had become increasingly uneasy the more he revealed about the cult.

With Rosh and Raltharan preoccupied with comparing their training sabers, Kyle moves over on the bench to sit closer to Jaden. "How're _you _holding up?" he asks.

"Okay," Jaden says quickly, suddenly self-conscious. How should she address this well-respected Jedi Master who had fought alongside Luke Skywalker, and who probably already sees her as an awkward mess after that morning's disasters of training and sparring sessions...but who prefers "Kyle" rather than "Master," and now seems to want to chat like old friends?

Feeling exposed and awkward, she glances down at her hands, and nearly jumps. Raw, angry-looking burns mark the whole lengths of both her arms. Her formerly smooth, lightly tanned skin is now striped with unsightly peeling and irritation. For the first time, she becomes aware of the throbbing numbness all over her skin. It is as though her own body is mocking her sad displays during that morning's training, evidence of her lack of skill in plain sight.

Kyle laughs gently. "Evidence of a good first sparring session." He lightly takes hold of Jaden's forearm between rough, calloused fingers. She is confused at first, then becomes aware of a sort of relaxation, first in her burns, deepening into her flesh, then penetrating the whole of her arm. All tension leaves her arm, leaving her with unimaginable peace and calm, if it were at all possible to feel calmness within one's arm. Jaden shivers. Kyle releases her arm and reaches for the other.

Jaden stares down at her forearms. The burns had faded to pale pinkish stripes, the throbbing now a faint tingling on the surface of her skin. She could hardly believe it. And to think that Kyle had did it so nonchalantly, as if it were the most mundane task…

...and is still sitting there, amused, watching her gape. She mentally kicks herself, forcing herself to meet Kyle's gaze and smile. "Thanks," she says.

Kyle chuckles at her poorly disguised wonder. "That's the healing power of the Force. You'll get there. Later, though, once you've got 'push' and 'pull' under your fingers." His tone is gently teasing, as though poking fun at her "newbie" status, but not demeaning.

His casualness reassures her. Maybe if a Jedi Master could speak jokingly about the worst lowlifes in the galaxy, there would not be so much to worry about.

* * *

The Tatooine sunlight greets the Jedi harshly as they exit the _Raven's Claw, _forcing them to shield their eyes against the stark brightness_. _The three students follow their Masters through the entrance to a neighboring docking bay. They must duck immediately to avoid the hull of the freighter that took up the entire area of the docking bay, with several meters on each side to spare. Whoever the pilot is must have been pretty bold.

"Well, I'll be. The _Millennium Falcon!_" Kyle exclaims. He begins to circle the ship. "Han! Chewie! Anybody here?"

"I guess they're out," says Corran.

Kyle and Corran lead the way to the next docking bay, the famous freighter's bulk forcing them to edge along the walls.

This third docking bay is lined with about a dozen smaller, nondescript ships. The two Masters walk along a line ships to examining them.

Rosh tugs at Jaden's sleeve. "I can't believe that was the _Millenium Falcon! _Han Solo is here! Do you think we'll get to meet him, Jaden?"

The Masters make their way back towards the students while exchanging hurried words.

"Luke's info was good. These are definitely freelance cargo ships," Kyle informs them. He motions for the students to follow as he and Corran approach the docking bay exit. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Listen. Stay here and guard the entrance to the docking bay. If anyone tries to enter or leave, detain them. We're going to head over to the Krayt Cantina and ask around. I know some people there."

Given the quiet, it doesn't seem as though the three Jedi initiates would need to detain anyone anytime soon. Left again to themselves, they wonder aloud about their first mission.

"It's pass-fail," Raltharan explains. "But I heard some apprentices saying it's almost impossible to fail a mission. The grading is just a way for the Masters to keep track of us and to make sure the students are where they should be. You heard what Master Luke said about 'learning by doing.' Missions are for us to gain experience."

"..._and_ because the galaxy needs our help!" Rosh adds passionately.

"But they wouldn't be sending us on such serious assignments just yet," Jaden ventures, mostly to reassure herself. "We've only just started training."

"No, the first assignments wouldn't be the most dangerous or fragile," Raltharan agrees, "but they are actual issues they need us to address. The Masters aren't just giving us busywork so they can assess us."

"So, your actions during the mission itself are more important than the 'pass' or 'fail,' " says Jaden.

"Right."

"And, basically, we pass if we complete the assignment," she presses.

"Right."

"So...how _does _one fail a mission?" says Rosh.

The three students silently look at one another, considering.

Finally, Raltharan speaks. "You...die?"

There is another moment of silence. Despite Raltharan's complete seriousness and the morbidity of the remark, all three students burst out laughing.

"No, no, no," says Raltharan, straightening, "but you'd have to mess up pretty kriffin' bad, like…like shooting your help, or something."

Jaden's nerves start to ease at the lightened mood. But the initiates fall silent at the distant sounds of blasterfire, coming from behind the door they are gaurding. An unfamiliar presence is approaching from behind the door, seeming too big and powerful to be Kyle or Master Horn. Jaden's hand instinctively flies to her lightsaber, and Rosh draws his blaster.

Exchanging tentative glances, they step back from the door. As it rises, the sound of blasterfire increases. Jaden activates her lightsaber.

Following a distressed howl, a Wookiee barrels backwards through the entrance, his weapon directed towards the blasterfire outside. The startled students all jump back as the towering, furry figure fires several more rounds from his bowcaster before the door hisses shut.

The Wookiee seems to be catching his breath, holding no feelings of hostility towards the confused students surrounding him. Jaden, remembering the _Millenium Falcon _in the next docking bay, realizes this could be the Wookiee companion of Han Solo. Jaden deactivates her lightsaber and, thinking of Raltharan's comment about shooting one's help, hopes Rosh, temporarily hidden behind the wookiee, has put down his blaster. She peers around the hulking form and sees that she needn't have worried, as Rosh is as wide-eyed as Raltharan. He has likely also concluded that this is probably Chewbacca, perhaps in disbelief that he might in the very presence of Chewbacca, himself.

The wookiee regards each of them and howls inquisitively. It is easy for basic-speakers to discern a wookiee's general idea by the tone of his voice, and Jaden, now grateful for past interactions with wookiees, finds she understands him perfectly.

"Jedi?" Jaden echoes his question. "Us? No, not yet. We're...we're students from the Academy. Masters Kyle Katarn and Corran Horn are here." The wookiee groans curiously. "They're talking to some locals," Jaden explains. "We're investigating this...cult that's been cropping up everywhere."

As she speaks, the wookiee grunts in understanding, but hurriedly positions one furry arm behind Rosh's back and the other encompassing Raltharan and Jaden, and begins to usher them away from the exit.

Jaden tries not to buckle under the force of the Wookiee's arm. "You must be Chewbacca. Why are you here?"

The Wookiee howls in the affirmative, then something about business with Leia Organa. Evidently, there would not much time for discussion. Jaden realizes, with a sinking feeling, that whoever was shooting at him would probably be following.

"Leia Organa? Wow...it must be important business." Jaden does her best to exemplify the trademark Jedi calm despite her own growing nerves, hoping that her attempted calming thoughts would transfer to the Wookiee. But Chewbacca is so big and strong-willed that it seems nothing she does would affect him at all.

"Chewbacca. I...wow. I'm...honored. I mean...I'm Rosh. It's an honor," Rosh stammers as the famed Chewbacca directs the students through a windowless, duracrete-lined passageway, presumably leading to one of the other docking bays. When the wookiee releases the students to draw his weapon, Raltharan asks, "shouldn't some of us stay and guard the entrance?"

"We'd better stay with him," Jaden replies. "The Masters couldn't have gotten far, and he clearly knows the place better than we do."

They turn a corner to face a Rodian male in a starched white uniform. He starts slightly upon seeing Chewbacca, then abruptly turns, shouts something indecipherable, and runs out into the light. Chewbacca swiftly follows him. Rosh and Jaden glance at Raltharan for translation. "We've got company," the Rodian says gravely, and follows Chewbacca.

The passageway does open into yet another docking bay, this one empty of ships, but cluttered with crates and equipment. Several men in similar white uniforms run towards Chewbacca and the Jedi students. They point their weapons at Chewbacca. At all four of them.

Fighting a powerful urge to hide behind a stack of crates, Jaden activates her lightsaber, and hears her fellow students do the same.

Jaden is aware catching blaster bolts with surprisingly swift motions of her lightsaber, but it takes her several moments for the reality to sink in that someone is actually shooting at her. The motions of catching blasterfire on the blade of her lightsaber is uncannily familiar. Yes, this is exactly like batting the laser beams from the training remotes.

But this isn't training anymore, and these mercenaries are no training remotes. She desperately wishes for Kyle to return. But, she realizes, mercenaries don't hover relentlessly around her as the remotes did, and the men are actually backing up when they realize their bullets do not amount to much against the three lightsabers and the Wookiee's bowcaster, which has already taken out several of the men. Confidence slightly restored, Jaden rushes to join the other two students in shielding the undeterred Chewbacca as he fires his bowcaster.

After what could have been two or twenty minutes, silence settles and bodies litter the docking bay. Chewbacca waves the initiates into an alcove piled with more equipment. He points to a door in between two stacks of crates.

"Good idea," says Jaden. "We won't be such easy targets inside."

The vast storage room they enter turns out not to make them any less of easy targets. Beyond stacks of cargo crates and equipment, more mercaneries pop out like weasels.

Jaden sinks behind a massive crate, searching desparately for calm. In her peripheral vision, Rosh lunges at one of the mercenary. The man folds to the ground with an agonized cry. Jaden flinches. Innocent Rosh, killing a man.

...And here she is, still cowering. She pushes herself up and leaps over the crate to where Chewbacca kneels behind more boxes, firing at the mercenaries. She blocks the blasterfire from the Wookiee as he continues to shoot. Within minutes, all the mercenaries have fallen victim to Chewbacca's bowcaster. Chewbacca leads the students through the room, through the other door and into a corridor.

At the entrance to a smaller storage room, Chewbacca pauses to recharge his weapon, and the three Jedi students catch their breath. Clearly, the Jedi are not welcome here, and judging by the hostility, these mercenaries definitely have something to hide.

"Is it just me, or are the Rodians kind of creepy?"

Raltharan raises a scaly, moss-green palm to silence the others. He edges towards the doorway and leans against the wall.

"I know what you mean," says another male voice. "Those weird antennae things, right?"

"Yeah. That, and the nose. Pretty spooky," the first man adds.

As the Rodian's grip tightens over his lightsaber hilt, the two other initiates feel the tension mounting within him, and cast each other worried glances.

"Yeah, what _is_ that?" the second voice replies. "On second thought, I don't wanna know."

With a battle cry that causes even Chewbacca to jump, the rodian lunges. He lands directly on one of the men, and before the other can raise his weapon, Raltharan, still on top of the first man, drives the hilt of his lightsaber into the second man's solar plexus. Rosh, Jaden, and Chewbacca watch in bewilderment until Raltharan stands over the unconscious heap of the two human men, looking sheepishly at something on the wall.

"Sorry. Maybe that wasn't very Jedi-like of me." Raltharan glances up to his companions' startled expressions. Even Rosh, for the first time since they'd met, is speechless. "It just...ruffles me when people rip on my species. You humans have no idea how strange you look to us. Not that you...uh...let's just keep going, okay?" Raltharan turns abruptly for the exit.

Rosh looks at Jaden and shrugs, and the three follow Raltharan, stepping carefully over the bodies.

They find themselves back in the docking bay where Kyle and Corran had left them, with the freelance cargo ships. Except now, mercenaries wait in every corner, weapons at the ready. Rosh, Jaden, Raltharan, and Chewie jump for cover.

"We need more cover. Let's get back to our ship," Jaden calls over the blasterfire, flattened against a massive cargo crate.

But the mercenaries seem to have other plans for them. Jaden fends off oncoming laser beams with her lightsaber while doing her best not to let her growing fear show in the Force. She watches the men gradually fall to the ground, mostly from Chewbacca's bowcaster.

Finally, the fire dies to eerie silence. Bodies litter the docking bay. The three students and the Wookiee look at one another cautiously, as if the relief they felt may be too good to be true.

Surely enough, a mechanical hissing snaps their attention to the administration tower above the intersection of the four docking bays. Chewbacca groans in exasperation. Tractor beams.

"We can't get to the ships! The whole place is locked down!"

More mercenaries, too numerous and randomly positioned to count, emerge from various doors around the docking bay. Chewbacca howls urgently. He seems to know of a way back to the docking bay containing the _Raven's Claw_. The three initiates surround the Wookiee to catch the oncoming blasterfire with their lightsabers as he leads them, diagonally, through the docking bay.

They weave between the cargo ships and through a small side door. In the small storage room they enter, two men begin firing instantly. Chewbacca swiftly guns them down.

They then exit the room through another small door, and to their relief, find themselves in the docking bay where they had landed, perhaps less than an hour previously. The sight of the _Raven's Claw, _even if the ship is locked in place by a tractor beam, is immensely comforting. However, the comfort is short-lived.

Five or six more mercenaries come running in, single-file, through the docking bay's entrance, on the opposite side of the _Raven's Claw _from the students and Chewbacca. To the other side, the mercenaries, who had followed them from the docking bay containing cargo ships, stream in from the door the students and Chewbacca had just entered.

They are badly outnumbered.


End file.
